


Book One: Lu Ten

by Rinzlerkitty94 (SorynJK)



Series: Raising Dragons [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adoption, And Ran and Shaw, And dragon genetics here behind the scenes, And only Iroh and the palace animals know, Bisexual Lu Ten, But there will be NO explicit dragon sex here, Dragon AU, F/M, I love that tag, I'm sorry I just can't., If that's your thing - sorry - but it is out there, Look I'm gonna be playing it by ear with dragon reproduction, Lu Ten (Avatar) Lives, Lu Ten is a dragon, Lu Ten likes cats, M/M, Mention of species genocide, Miyuki is his buddy, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rated cautiously M, They're clearly not gone though cause Lu Ten, Umm... this went downhill so fast, War Criminal Miyuki, When I finally figure myself out, Yes I added Miyuki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:06:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26730361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SorynJK/pseuds/Rinzlerkitty94
Summary: I... don't know. This all started months ago because Dante Basco is both Zuko and Jake Long, and in discussions with old_friends_and_new on Tumblr with a few prompts they wrote. And now this exists.
Relationships: Azula & Lu Ten, Azulon & Lu Ten, Iroh & Lu Ten, Lu Ten & Miyuki, Lu Ten & Ozai, Lu Ten & Ursa, Lu Ten & Zuko, Lu Ten/Original Female Character(s), Lu Ten/Original Male Character(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Ran/Shaw
Series: Raising Dragons [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945459
Comments: 20
Kudos: 27





	1. Infant Abandoned

**Author's Note:**

> Credit for a workable idea for this wonderfully weird AU goes to old_friends_and_new. I'm kinda unsure about this because I worry it'll be just entirely ridiculous, but hey, that's fun too, right?
> 
> I don't think there's any warnings in Chapter 1 that the title itself doesn't cover.

The palace gardens in Caldera were near silent. It was almost midnight. Aside from the occasional rebellious turtleduck, and patrolling guards in the halls, the palace slept.

Next to the turtleduck pond, there was a small, partially hidden bundled blanket, the occupant of said blanket quietly snoozing away, entirely unaware that when he woke, it would be to a complete stranger. For now, he was blissfully unaware. 

A curious turtleduck swam close to the bundle, waddling out onto dry land to investigate. And immediately froze a few steps away, smelling a predator. Hissing, the animal retreated quickly, across the pond and hiding in the brush within seconds. 

An hour passed. The baby in the blanket sneezed suddenly, waking at the violent motion, his tiny face scrunching up. Confused, and rather upset about the rude awakening, the infant waited a half second for someone to comfort him. Then screeched at the top of his lungs. 

A guard patrolling along the covered walkway was alarmed by the sudden noise, and wasn't alone as several others seemed to hear as well, going to investigate the disturbance, much like the turtleduck. 

Unlike the turtleduck, the very human guards saw no danger in the presence of the mysteriously arrived, seemingly abandoned infant. One picked up the squalling child, and a note fell from the folds of the blanket, another grabbing it so there was no risk of the first accidentally dropping the still shrieking baby. (He was very much NOT impressed by the individual holding him, this was NOT his mother, and he was letting EVERYONE know what he thought about it.) 

The guard read the note, his eyebrows raising as he tried to comprehend what it said, the others watching him curiously. "It's a message for Crown Prince Iroh. The child, apparently, is his." 

The child's screaming had died off to a hiccupping whimper, he was still deeply displeased by this whole situation, but also so very tired, and just wanted to be asleep again…  
_____________________________________

Both the letter and the now very tired, cranky infant were delivered to Prince Iroh's quarters. The letter was handed off first, and was read through several times before Iroh actually seemed to fully comprehend what it said. (It's not his fault, it's like 2 in the morning or something, a very disorienting time to be awakened cause someone left a baby they claim is yours in the family garden.)

Iroh takes the bundled up child, not entirely sure what to do with him, but also fairly certain he should actually take him in, and lets the guards return to their patrols. He skims his way through the letter again, holding the baby somewhat unsteadily with his other arm, one sentence in particular sticking out to him.

"His name is Lu Ten."


	2. Infant Adopted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple different sections here. The last, in my opinion, is the most important, Lu Ten's mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Ozai, a warning all its own.... discussion of child abandonment, but this is also the chapter where the child is actually part of the family, so.

Azulon's eyes were narrowed in skepticism, watching his eldest son trying to cope with his recently acquired son. The baby was gurgling happily, flailing his tiny arms, from where he was nestled on a pile of fluffy blankets and pillows in a bassinet. He seemed happy enough for the moment, and Iroh… Iroh looked absolutely exhausted. Babies were much more difficult than he had anticipated, and if it wasn't for help from one of the maids, he would be entirely lost.

Ozai, across the table from his elder brother, wasn't even trying to hide his vicious glare. At fifteen, he was already so consumed by jealousy and bitterness over being just "The Spare," now pushed further down in the line of inheritance by the arrival of this bastard son. 

Iroh had been very surprised by the letter left with the baby, but had eventually accepted it as the truth, why wouldn't it be? The mother received no benefit by not showing up with her child, staying anonymous, hidden… but there was no denying that it was a definite possibility. He had not always been as careful as he should. 

Iroh glanced at his father, unable to ignore the skepticism on the old man's face. Well, it didn't matter, Lu Ten was staying. He could be removed from the line of succession if necessary, but he was staying. 

"No one is going to force you to get rid of the child." Oops, that was just supposed to have been a thought. "As to his place in line from the throne, we shall have to see."

That was going to have to be good enough.  
_____________________________________

Little Lu Ten slept on the softest possible bed in existence, not even old enough to appreciate it properly yet. He whimpered softly in his sleep, fuzzy memories blending in his dreams. 

Golden eyes watching him, wisps of smiles, flashes of bright blue and blood red. A soft voice singing him to sleep, arms gently cradling him. Enveloping him in the comforting scent of his mother. 

He woke at the crashing of a meal tray in the hall outside his room, crying helplessly, startled by the noise. Where was his mommy? Where was he? It didn't smell right here! 

There was a pair of arms lifting him, but the person didn't smell right, and he wailed louder. The voice though, soft and sweet and soothing, and his sobs slowly died. Slowly his eyes fell closed and he was asleep again, returning to dreams of his missing mother.   
_____________________________________

Leaving Lu Ten had honestly been rather traumatic for his mother. Despite all the benefits of having one of their own on the throne, this was her baby. Her tiny precious son, who was still so small and so fragile. Barely a week old. 

But if he wasn't left now, he would never be left at all. She wouldn't have it in her to give him up.

And Lu Ten's father was no help, he was being far too pragmatic about it. Focusing too much on how the benefits outweighed the downsides. Besides, they lived in literal caves, and that was not at all the proper environment to raise children. "It's too damp," he would say, "he will get sick." How different things were before… Before they had to hide.

So… she bundled her baby boy up tightly in the softest, warmest blanket she could find, insisting on taking Lu Ten to Caldera herself. She clung to him tightly the entire way, humming quiet lullabies under her breath all the while. 

Just before midnight, when everything was still, the woman climbed the palace walls, nails sinking into stone like warm butter, and stole into the gardens. All was silent. 

She found a patch of grass that would shield him from any wind, but not entirely conceal him from view, the baby would need to be found. She settled the sleeping infant on the grass, leaning forward to brush her lips against his forehead. He barely stirred, then settled back. 

She left a letter for the Crown Prince hidden in Lu Ten's blanket. Prince Iroh had been carefully selected from many potential candidates to raise the baby. Iroh was a good man, and fortunately less… cautious with lovers. A wise choice. But still a painful one. 

It was past midnight, and she scurried to the palace walls again, only glancing back once before running off into the night, only able to spare her son a parting thought. 'Be safe, my little one.'


	3. A Tiny Menace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby Lu Ten is all grown up now! Not really, this is just a short collection of some of his more eventful toddler years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Lots of fire mentioned, Ozai being a douche. Mentions of small animals being murdered, in the context of a cat teaching her "kitten" how to hunt, and the resulting successes. Not detailed. Ah, Lu Ten likes ovens. Nothing happens, but still.

The next two years passed quickly, with baby Lu Ten growing quickly into now walking, almost talking toddler Lu Ten. He was a tiny menace, dangerously curious, and this led to several new protocols put in place by various servants. 

There was the time, when he was one and a half, and had tried crawling into an oven left open. He had been caught by one of the prep cooks, who immediately panicked, snatching the baby up and whisking him off to a healer, unaware that the tiny child was practically fireproof. Ever since, there was a strict rule about MAKING SURE OVENS WERE KEPT CLOSED!

Lu Ten had been quite unhappy, he had been looking for a nice, warm place to nap, and that had seemed perfect… he had learned that while blankets were nice and soft and cuddly, he liked napping in high warmth. Outside in sunny patches of the garden were also nice. 

There was also the time he snuck into a war meeting, and somehow no one noticed until he crawled onto the map, grabbed up a unit marker and started chewing on it with his new teeth. Ozai had been particularly unhappy about it, considering he had finally been allowed to present a plan in a meeting, only to be interrupted by his brat nephew ruining everything. The harried servant that had scooped up Lu Ten, and his new chew toy that he refused to let go of, was getting viciously berated by the younger prince, the woman on the verge of tears. 

Lu Ten hadn't liked that, especially not the yelling, and had hissed viciously at Ozai, no one else seeming to notice but the near seventeen year old prince. Absolutely no one would ever believe him about the "demonic" princeling who had also snapped his tiny sharp teeth at Ozai's hand. He couldn't prove anything, and the entire palace adored Lu Ten. He was a menace, but an adorable one.  
_____________________________________

There eventually came a day when there was no one available to watch Lu Ten. The little prince was nearly three, and could speak at least decently. And he had recently discovered cats. 

Cats were the greatest thing ever in Lu Ten's mind, aside from juice and his blanket. Cats were like him! They made growling noises, and hissed when mad, and caught squirrels and rats. They had golden eyes too, like his, and everyone seemed to like them. And they were fluffy! Not fluffy like the turtleducks, who all ran away from Lu Ten all the time, but fluffy all over. (The turtleducks made Lu Ten sad, because they were cute, but they also smell good, like snacks! But they were too fast for him.) And the cats were never afraid of him. 

What Lu Ten didn't know was that while he saw the cats as the greatest thing ever, the cats…. Thought he was a hopeless idiot. A big dumb furless kitten who was entirely useless at taking care of himself. So, in order to keep the dumb baby from starving to death, one particular cat by the name of Miyuki essentially adopted him as her own. Someone had to do it, after all.

Lu Ten LOVED Miyuki. Miyuki stood by while Lu Ten would toddle up to her, not so gently pet her fur, babble something that sounded like "Hi,'Yuki!" and toddle away after a flower or something. No, this would not do. The cat gently bit into Lu Ten's sleeve, since she couldn't possibly carry him around by the scruff of his neck, and dragged him along. She would then try to demonstrate hunting, and… Lu Ten just wouldn't pay attention. He was too little to focus on much yet. 

Until… an unfortunate squirrel jumped out in front of the little prince. And for the first time, his less than human nature was fully revealed, sharp fangs extending from his teeth, long claws forming on his nails. He snatched the animal out of midair, mercifully dispatching it quickly before the squirrel even knew what happened, and proceeded to eat it. 

Luckily for Lu Ten, the only witness to this first kill was Miyuki, who now viewed her adopted not-kitten with less disdain and more grudging respect. Perhaps he wasn't such a dumb hopeless little idiot after all.  
_____________________________________

After that first catch, Lu Ten would often catch small rodents. He'd actually eat some, good protein, but most ended up being left around the palace as… gifts, for his father, grandfather, any servants he decided he liked. 

Once, he decided to mend his relationship with Ozai and dropped a bird onto his pillow. While Ozai was sleeping on it. The resounding shriek echoed through the palace when the elder prince discovered exactly what it was that had hit him in the face, rousing him from dreams of taking over the throne. Again, he could never prove Lu Ten was responsible for it, but he could have sworn he had seen the little demon that night.  
_____________________________________

It wasn't until Lu Ten formed his first flame by sneezing violently at age four that… Iroh understood that his son wasn't quite what he had expected. Instead of crying at the flames, Lu Ten had shrieked happily, sticking his tiny hands straight into the fire, nearly giving his father a heart attack in the process. 

Little Lu Ten was not only entirely unhurt, but actually picked up the flames, holding it with the most intense look of wonder in his eyes, feeling the almost heartbeat-like flickering from within. Entirely flame-proof. Iroh watched, dumbstruck, as Lu Ten blinked, suddenly revealing slit-pupiled eyes, wide with excitement. 

And it hit, like a ton of bricks. Lu Ten was something far beyond human. Something discussed in only whispers at the edges of the Fire Nation. 

Lu Ten was a dragon-child.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright.... let me know what you think. ... I am apparently going to keep starting new things, I have no self control.


End file.
